1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-purpose housing for electrotechnical equipment. The multi-purpose housing comprises two identical side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall. The multi-purpose housing accommodates the installation of component holders, the installation of guide plates and cross supports and the installation of slide rails which are used for flange supports and for attaching a back wall, a door or an inspection window.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A multi-purpose housing is taught by West German Patent Publication DE-OS No. 33 34 587. Instead of providing a frame or framework, components of the multi-purpose housing are connected directly with one another due to their complementary design. Thus many of the same parts may be used. This prior art multi-purpose housing facilitates quick assembly. Installation of component holders, guide plates for cross supports and slide rails for insertable units, in each case requires that special devices are mounted in the multi-purpose housing.
As taught by West German Patent Publication DE-AS No. 5 23 292, contoured structural segments have been used as top and bottom parts for these types of multipurpose housings. The interiors of these contoured structural segments have T-grooves, at regular intervals, in which nuts may be inserted and aligned so that they are horizontally slidable. As taught by the '292 patent, additional mounting parts are connectible to the top and bottom walls of the multi-purpose housing. This structure of a multi-purpose housing is suitable for mounting a single component holder or a single row of support strips for conductor plates at a single height. As the height of the multi-purpose housing greatly increases, fastening problems arise, since the smooth side walls do not provide the required fastening options.